Love or Hatred
by The CONFOOZHiNG Nessia
Summary: Gabriella took one last glance over her shoulder and saw her worst nightmare coming true, right before her eyes. Troy Bolton was kissing Michelle Bowman. She could feel a cold hand squeeze her heart as her knees buckled...


**Author's Note:** So this is my first fanfiction. It's fairly long, I guess... but I didn't want to put two chapters. It's a oneshot, but if by some miracle a hundred million people request for a second chapter, then I'll consider adding to it--though it's extremely unlikely. Just so you know, I couldn't think of a good title and summary and just had to use these... xP. I hope you enjoy, and reviews are greatly appreciated!

**Title:** Love or Hatred

**Summary:** Gabriella took one last glance over her shoulder and saw her worst nightmare coming true, right before her eyes. Troy Bolton was kissing Michelle Bowman. She could feel a cold hand squeeze her heart as her knees buckled...

**Disclaimer:** I certainly do NOT own High School Musical or any of its contents. However, I kinda do own Michelle Bowman, so don't steal her. Or the idea for this fanfiction... though I think I've stolen little bits of it from other people. xP Sorry if you find some of your text in here. Heh.

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Troy closed his locker gently. "I do want to ask her out... I really do. I like her. But..." His voice trailed off as he looked down at Gabriella.

"But what?" Gabriella looked back up at him. He had been bugging her on advice for so long for ideas on how to approach this girl at school--Michelle Bowman.

_She could be everything Troy's ever wanted,_ she thought, frowning to herself. Gabriella had to admit, Michelle _was_ pretty. _She resembles a Barbie doll. Kinda like that one Miss America, _Gabriella continued thinking. True, Michelle had thick, long, blonde hair... and she was almost as tall as Troy--well, with those heels. Gabriella felt shorter when she was compared to him. Michelle might have been the envy of many girls, and if they knew that Troy had his eye on her, they probably would have plotted against her. But of course, they all assumed that Troy and Gabriella liked _each other_. Didn't they? Gabriella could only wish. _Why wouldn't he like her? She's popular, pretty... athletic, I guess. More athletic than me._ If cheerleading counted as a sport, then Michelle would be what Troy called the "playmaker." _Face it, Gabi. Troy_ really _likes her, and you're only his friend. _Only_ a friend._

"But what if she hates me?" he asked nervously, lifting an arm to rub the back of his neck. His expression looked similar to the one pasted on his face the moment Gabriella had called out, "I'd like to audition, Ms. Darbus!"

Gabriella laughed out loud. "Troy, _no one_ hates you. Every girl's totally into you, and you're a hoops star! East High's favorite student. Go ahead, ask her out." She hated saying these words so much; she choked a bit on the sentence.

"Thanks." Troy smiled that smile... that perfect smile. The smile that could make any girl weak at the knees. Then he noticed someone just beyond Gabriella. "Hey, Michelle's over there!... Excuse me, and I'll go talk to her." He took a step to the side to get past her, but she stepped along with him, blocking the path.

Gabriella felt a sharp pain in her side, as if someone had pinched her. But she didn't realize that it was jealousy... "Wait... y-you can't talk to her," Gabriella burst out without thinking first. _First I tell him to ask her out, then I tell him that he can't talk to her?_ She beat herself up mentally.

"Why not?" He looked confused.

Gabriella paused. "Um... well, be-because..."

"Because what?"

She thought about what to do or say next. There were just so many things she wanted to say to him. So many things. But if she could only choose one... she wanted to be able to tell him what she really felt for him. To be able to explain her feelings... she had never experienced this before. What could this be?

"Because, Troy..." Gabriella chose the first plan that came to mind; she stood up on her toes and kissed him. "Because _I_ love you. Because _I_ want to be your girl." There went all the other ways to tell him. Fortunately for Gabriella, it was the end of school, so she just picked up her stuff and walked away, down the hall in the opposite direction.

Troy froze. Gabriella had told him _so much_ with that kiss... she had said all that she had wanted to. The first time he saw Michelle, the sight of her must have messed with his mind, and apparently, that kiss must have returned the original Troy. The Troy that Gabriella knew; the Troy that Gabriella loved. The stunt she had pulled was... so unexpected, so daring, and he only wished that she hadn't walked away... that he could talk to her some more... and he _really_ wanted to kiss Gabriella in return. Their relationship together simply _had_ to be more than friendship. It simply _had_ to be love.

-------

Seeing Gabriella walk away, Michelle Bowman trotted up to Troy. At least _she_ knew that Troy and Gabriella were "just friends," so she saw the kiss that Gabriella had given him as a friendly "goodbye." Besides, she knew enough to tell that Troy hadn't kissed back. She had an unbearable crush on the basketball star, and if he wasn't going to make a move, well, _she_ would. "Hi, Troy," she said flirtatiously, wiggling her fingers in what Troy took as a wave. The miniskirted head cheerleader smirked a little, her squad right behind her. If Michelle didn't get Troy Bolton as a boyfriend, then _they_ would help her out. Those _female_ Wildcats obviously knew how things worked at East High.

Michelle's bright blue eyes were circled with two thin rings of dark eyeliner. Light, cool hues covered her eyelids, and dots of glitter near the outside corners of her eyes "made her sparkle," as the cheerleaders had told her. A fitting dark brown shirt with thin spaghetti straps hugged her body tightly, which could pass off as a model's. Her upper body was covered by a light pink knit shrug, which was long-sleeved but still exposed much of her arms. A matching pink skirt fell to about halfway down her thighs--though, of course, the skirt wasn't knitted. She wore brown high-heeled sandals with straps spread all over her small feet; they brought her very close to Troy's height. Perfect, whitened teeth were fixed into a million-dollar smile, which she was flashing right at Troy. Long, blonde, wavy hair reached the middle of her back. Her bangs were long enough to hide half of her face, and she had the habit of blowing the hair out of her face.

"Oh, hey," Troy replied, not even glancing at the girl talking to him. He stared right over Michelle's head, watching Gabriella--the best friend he could ever have, the girl who truly and deeply loved him--retreat.

Michelle continued. "So, if you aren't doing anything, then maybe we could... hang out together? Say... pick me up at my house, Friday night?" She gave him another winning smile, flipping her golden locks behind her shoulders. Already she was printing her address on a bright pink Post-it note, in the familiar bubbly writing.

Troy was too swallowed in his own thoughts to even hear her. _She must hate me... how could I be so stupid?_ He continued mentally kicking himself, forgetting about the impatient cheerleader standing in front of him, waiting for a response.

"Troy?"

"Oh," he muttered, breaking back to the real world. "Yeah..." He had no idea what she had just asked him, so he concluded that "yes" was the best answer.

Michelle grinned the widest grin Troy had ever seen. "So it's a date!" she squealed, her own blue eyes twinkling. She untied her shrug, handing it back to the cheerleaders behind her. She stuck the note on his shirt, taking her time. She could see the confusion in his expression as her hand grazed over his chest. Apparently she already thought of herself as Troy's "I do" mate, and the other girls behind her raised eyebrows as she began wrapping her bare arms around his neck, playing with his hair. _He's so adorable,_ she thought, gazing at his clueless face. _So hot!_

"Wait... a date? But--"

Before Troy could speak another word, Michelle held a finger up, gently brushing a painted nail against his lips. "No need to say it--I already know you..." She giggled softly before resuming. "..._love_ me." Her movements more rushed than Gabriella's, she popped up on her heels to reach his height. Closer she leaned, her eyes shutting.

Troy realized too late what was happening. Their lips connected, and Michelle forcefully attempted to fit her tongue into his closed mouth. Shock and anger touched him. He pushed her away furiously, but not quick enough--Gabriella had seen it all. Michelle's plan worked perfectly--she _had_ kissed Troy Bolton. Long enough to make Gabriella upset, but not long enough to make Troy explode.

-------

Gabriella took one last glance over her shoulder and saw her worst nightmare coming true, right before her eyes.

Troy Bolton was kissing Michelle Bowman.

She could feel a cold hand squeeze her heart as her knees buckled, forcing her to crumple to the floor. The other students sent her pitying glances and even offered her hands, but Gabriella was too focused on the couple to even notice. It was happening in the same way she had pictured it--Troy was leaning back on his locker, Michelle wasn't protesting at all, and neither pulled away... to Gabriella's horror, they didn't even look like they _wanted_ to stop.

Standing back up, she bit her lip hard, trying to hold back the tears that she knew were coming. Sooner than she had expected, small dark spots appeared on her shirt. Silent tears were streaming down her face.

Gabriella was attacked by all of her feelings at once. Pain. It pained her so much to see the love of her life wrapped in another person's arms. Jealousy. Why couldn't it be her that he stayed after school for? Bits of happiness squeezed through the thick wall of her other emotions; at least Troy got what he wanted. But she felt so betrayed, so angry, so confused. Even hatred tore at her mind. She very much disliked Michelle Bowman.

She spun around on her heel and ran as fast as she could, avoiding everyone--even Taylor. No one could reach her now. As she burst through the doors and rushed to rest on a bench, one question pounded at her heart. It was as if a million people were waiting for the response to a question she hated to answer.

What do you feel for Troy Bolton? _Love or hatred?_

Gabriella's shoulders shook; she was still sobbing uncontrollably. At least if she hated him, she could let it all go and nothing would matter anymore... but if she still cared about him, then it would be so hard to watch him--with Michelle. Voices spoke in her head, ringing over and over again. Echoing loudly.

_Why, Michelle?_ she would ask the girl. _Why me? Why Troy? Why?_

She could imagine Michelle's heartless answer: _Because I want Troy._ _Because nobody cares about you, Gabriella. No one thinks of you. No one but yourself. You're alone... all you have are those geeks._

_That's not true!_ Gabriella fought back, another tear slipping down her face.

_Name one person who cares about you. Not your mom. Not any of your relatives. Not Taylor. And certainly not any of those high-IQ dorks that need you for one purpose and one purpose only--to win the Scholastic Decathlons for them._

The voice that played the role of Gabriella hesitated. The Michelle-like voice laughed cruelly.

_You can't think of anyone. Nobody cares about you; face it._

_Troy. Troy cares about me._ These words felt like lies... but somehow, deep in her heart, she knew that Troy really did care about her. He wouldn't deliberately rip her heart to shreds--would he?

-------

A warm hand on her shoulder startled her. Slowly, she looked up to see who it was... "Troy?" The boy nodded, taking a seat beside her on the bench. "Troy," Gabriella continued, hoping her voice sounded stronger than she heard it, "I want nothing to do with you. How could you--" Troy cut her off by closing the distance between their lips.

Feeling him kiss her was like a fantasy. A beautiful fantasy. This wasn't _just_ a kiss, Gabriella knew that for a fact. Every single emotion in Troy's being was woven into his lips, which were lovingly caressing her own. Gabriella pulled out of the kiss timidly, blushing for the first time in a long time. She was embarrassed, but pleased at the same time. She grinned idiotically, avoiding his gaze.

Troy's face was as serious as ever. "All my life, I've only dreamed of meeting a girl like you. I never knew that it could happen... 'til it happened to me." These statements only made Gabriella blush more deeply. Troy placed his finger under her chin, and Gabriella couldn't not look at him anymore. "I hope you believe me when I say that I have nothing to do with Michelle Bowman." Gabriella noticed that when he spoke Michelle's name, he no longer sighed it out dreamily. He said it with the same voice Gabriella did--a voice of disgust. The left side of her mouth curled up into a small smile.

This really was the start of something new. Troy and Gabriella's start of something new. That New Year's Eve was one of the best nights of her life. If she had never met Troy... if they had never sung together, then Troy would not have taken the time to show Gabriella around East High... and this would have never happened.

Troy continued. "Gabriella... when we sing together, I feel like I can accomplish anything." Gabriella's cheeks warmed to the point where she thought that they couldn't get any redder, and she had a feeling that Troy could see it. "Like I'm floating, and I'll never fall." Gabriella opened her mouth to say something, but Troy continued. "When I'm with you, I feel like I can reach for the stars and actually grab them. And whenever you're out of my sight... I feel like something's missing. I feel like I always need to be by your side... watching over you. Making sure that no one will ever hurt you. I thought that... that I actually _liked_ Michelle. But after she kissed me," he choked a bit on this sentence, "I realized that she could never care about me in the same way that you do. I realized that I act so differently when you're with me... I realized that there's only one thing that this feeling could be." He offered a genuine smile. "I love you, Gabriella. So much."

Tears trickled down Gabriella's cheeks, but this time, they were tears of joy. She kissed him again, their parted lips speaking more silent words to each other this time. After almost a minute, Gabriella pulled away and buried her face into Troy's shirt. She couldn't remember a time when she felt so wonderful, so needed, so special... so loved. "I love you, too, Troy," she murmured into his chest, trying to speak the words without hiccuping in-between. Carefully, she lifted her head and looked up at him, a few damp strands of hair stuck to her face. "We have nothing in common... except for music, that is. Is our love enough to keep us alive?" She wanted to know the answer so badly.

Troy stuttered a little. "I-I don't know." He couldn't predict the future.

Her brown eyes burning into his, she raised her hand and placed it on his shoulder. She touched his thick, brown hair gently. She combed her fingers down from his hair to the back of his neck, then back through his hair again. "Only God knows," Gabriella whispered. "Troy... I really hope that love is enough to live on." Now she couldn't believe that she had almost hated Troy. No, she could never hate him. Never.

"I hope so, too. And if you want--"

A car pulled up to the couple. Gabriella recognized the car as her mother's. Quickly, she snapped her arms back from around Troy's neck and stood up. She felt cold and empty. She felt like they needed to be together... always. Ms. Montez looked at them, smiling. "I can wait," she mouthed, but Gabriella didn't want to be with Troy anymore if her mother was watching. She wanted some "alone time" with Troy.

"I have to go," Gabriella said softly.

Troy nodded understandingly. He took her hand in his.

Gabriella smiled at their fingers, entwined. Her smile faded after Troy pulled his hand away, but her face lit up again when she felt his lips on her cheek. His lips were so perfect... he was so flawless. In that moment, Gabriella felt like the luckiest person alive. Her eyes twinkled as he leaned back. He had that distant, dreamy look in his eyes as he stared into her own brown ones. Gabriella thought that his eyes only looked like that when he looked at Michelle; but now his eyes were on her, Gabriella Montez. Not Michelle Bowman. Never again Michelle Bowman.

His expression was the same as when he had kissed her after they had performed "Breaking Free" at the callbacks. "Bye, Gabriella," he said before he took off, jogging back in the direction of the school. His father was probably looking for him.

Gabriella watched him leave, a beautiful smile set on her face. Her tears had dried, and no one could tell that she had been crying only minutes earlier. Her eyes were on Troy, and she didn't move at all... until her mother finally spoke up.

-------

"Gabi?" Ms. Montez rolled down her window. Gabriella didn't budge. "Gabriella?" Gabriella stood stone-still. Troy was already in the school, but she was fondly recalling what had happened moments earlier. "Gabriella!"

"Huh? Oh..."

She opened the front passenger door of the car and sat down in the leather chair, waiting for her mother's remark.

"Troy is a _very_ nice boy." Ms. Montez smirked smugly. "I don't blame you if you want--"

"Thanks, Mamí," Gabriella interrupted before her mother could finish, not sure if she wanted to hear the rest.

"He's lucky to have you as a girlfriend, Gabi." The car began to move forward, on its way home.

_Troy Bolton's girlfriend._ Gabriella liked the sound of that. "Well, I'm not really his girlfriend, but..." _I have to be his girlfriend, right?_ she thought. _After all of this... he just can't date someone else._

Ms. Montez appeared to understand. She nodded once, keeping her eyes on the road. "I know what you mean, Gabriella," the mother told her daughter. "I know exactly what you mean... I've been there. And Troy'll never leave you... he won't if he turns out like your father." She remembered the sorrowful accident years ago, when her husband had said his last words. "He won't leave you until the day he dies."

Every word Gabriella's mother had spoken was true.

Thinking over what her mother had said all the way to their house, Gabriella knew the answer for sure... and it would be her answer forever and always. Hatred wasn't even an option anymore.

Love.


End file.
